Although the name of the stadium is now Progressive Field, die hard Tribe fans still refer to it as, “The Jake.” No matter what it’s called, there’s little dispute that when Cleveland opened their shiny new baseball stadium on April 4, 1994, it revitalized the Cleveland Indians franchise. The Indians were trapped for years in Municipal Stadium, a yawning 74,000-seat behemoth that was, for better or worse, known as the Mistake by the Lake.

Progressive Field is not by the lake (it’s centrally located downtown) and is anything but a mistake. Designed by the same architectural firm, HOK Sports, that began the retro ballpark craze with the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards, it has the feel of a vintage ballpark with the conveniences of a modern stadium. Cleveland’s little secret is that the stadium almost never happened. Original plans called for a downtown stadium more in the mold of Tropicana Field, the maligned home of the Tampa Bay Rays. But voters rejected a property tax increase, the project had to be reworked, and Progressive Field was born.

The Cleveland Indians are happy it was revised. They ended up with a park many believe is even better than Camden Yards, including seats angled toward home plate, a play area for pint-sized fans behind first base, and a centerfield plaza that features live bands on the weekends. Like Camden Yards, Progressive Field includes low outfield seating sections that allow for a view of downtown. Peer out over the left field stands and you’ll get a glimpse of the rest of the Gateway district and Cleveland’s downtown.

Fans responded to their Indians’ new and improved home. Indians tickets became a hot commodity again in Cleveland, as Progressive Field saw 455 straight sellouts between mid-1995 and April 4, 2001. Since then, however, attendance has dropped markedly. After drawing at least 3,000,000 fans every season between 1996 and 2001, Progressive Field attendance has been well under 2,000,000 over the last several seasons.

Capacity: 43,345

Year Built: 1994

‘12 attendance: 19,787 per game average; 1,603,596 per game

Dimensions: 325 to left, 370 to left-center, 400 to center, 375 to right-center, 325 to right

Thrill of victory: October 24, 1995: The Cleveland Indians had reason to print World Series tickets for the first time since 1954, winning the ALCS and advancing to a Fall Classic showdown with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves won the first two games of the Series but game three was played in friendly Jacobs Field. With a screaming sellout crowd behind them, the Indians won one of the most exciting games in franchise history. Eddie Murray’s 11th-inning single scored Alvaro Espinoza with the winning run. Atlanta would go on to win the world championship in five games.

Agony of defeat: October 23, 1997: The Indians were in their second World Series in three years and World Series tickets were once again Cleveland’s hottest item. The three-game World Series set in Cleveland against the Florida Marlins was played in frigid weather, and the cold-weather Indians had a chance to take a 3-2 Series lead in Game 5 on Oct. 23. But veteran Orel Hershiser struggled, giving up six runs in five innings, and Florida built an 8-4 lead. Cleveland mounted a mighty comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring 3 runs, but lost an 8-7 decision and would eventually lose the Series four games to three.

Indians Ticket Tips: Although Indians tickets have been hot for a decade, they remain reasonably priced. Front row Diamond Box seats are $60 apiece for a single-game ticket (and even more reasonable for a season ticket at $50 apiece); in the day when many metropolitan teams price their premium tickets in triple figures, Diamond Box seats are a bargain. A seat down the right field line will give you a view over the left field seats of Cleveland’s downtown. Hot series bring the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or Central Division rival Chicago White Sox to town. Interleague play has created a regular series with the Cincinnati Reds that remains a fan favorite.

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